These and everything like them – notice the throwaway remark in verse 9, ‘and any other commandment’ (about personal relationships) – must be adhered to in every relationship. (For a similar list, see yesterday’s reading, Romans 12:9-16). We may be tempted to follow a lifestyle that does not make demands of us or require the same level of discipline that Jesus expects. Remind yourself today about the Methodist Way of Life and why it is so helpful as a daily guide to living. However this is where the problems begin, for it seems that whereas the offering of a lamb was well received, God was less pleased with the crops of the ground, causing Cain to feel resentful towards his brother. It would seem that while the lamb had been the best of those available, although it's not spelled out, Cain's offerings had perhaps not been the best of the crop available, hence the response he received from God for his gift. Surely, most people, reading this story for the first time would react with horror at what God is asking Abraham to do. It has echoes of the Hagar and Ishmael story: in both cases, a son whom God had promised to Abraham is to be sacrificed. In both cases, Abraham did not hesitate; he set out to do as God commanded.

The text raises many questions in my mind, because of this. How could one man set himself against all those living around him, and build a craft which is so alien to the land where it is being constructed. We might wonder how he was able to access all the materials he needed to build the ark. Where did he source all the food and how did he collect the animals together? Nevertheless, he presented himself as ready as he had been told. We read that “Noah did all that was commanded from him.” ( v. 22) The same seems to be true of today’s story. The palm branches waved by the crowd are associated with the nationalism of an earlier era of Israel’s history, and an armed Jewish revolt against an occupying power by the Maccabean dynasty: in 141 BC, palm branches were carried in a procession into Jerusalem for Simon Maccabee, who was briefly triumphant against the occupiers. Why do you think the author of the second letter of Peter is so vehement in his criticism of the false teachers? In what ways have you noticed yourself or others trying to fit Jesus into your or their own agenda or projects?I am, of course, a Christian minister and I know that our remembering, what we do today, our profound silence and our deep lament, is not the end of the story. It does not end here. God speaks into our silence with words of justice, grace and peace. God gathers the cries of the broken, bewildered and bereaved and holds them closely. Vineyards and workers hired for the day were common features of first-century life in Galilee; the town square or 'marketplace' was where those looking for work would hang out hopefully. As with fruit-growing today, extra casual workers were needed at harvest time, and it was normal for fit people to work for 12 hours from shortly after sunrise until sunset. The urgency of getting the grapes harvested at the optimal time would account for the landowner himself going to the marketplace rather than sending one of his full-time workers, and he would do it several times during the day to secure as many person-hours of work as possible. There is no reason to suppose those employed late in the day had been lazy; they may for example have been harvesting their own small fields and then had time left over.

When in your prayer life you feel that God is asking something of you, do you obey without question? In the words of the hymn "Jesus bids us shine" we are each called to do our bit in our own location: "You in your small corner and I in mine." Are there things you and your friends might do to make the world a fairer place? Today's reading offers many ways of thinking about the kingdom of heaven. Let me suggest that one is to think of God in a kitchen, baking bread. (v. 33) The woman in the story takes a small bit of yeast and mixes it with three measures of flour. That's Jesus' simple illustration: God is mixing yeast into the dough of our lives until the whole world has risen.

More resources for Bible study and prayer

We all need to be cared for and looked after and part of that is being encouraged. The writer to the Hebrews knew this and emphasises God’s care and calls on readers to encourage one another daily to keep the faith. The book of Hebrews is believed to have been written prior to the destruction of the Temple in 70AD, so this is one of the later books of the New Testament writings and its focus is upon an ageing Church that was beginning to lose its enthusiasm for what was still a fledgling Christian movement. Then he said to them all, 'If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’ (v. 23) Where might we need to remove our ‘rose-tinted glasses’ so that we can see God around us in the present?

There is a contrast between the Word, who ‘was’, and all the things that ‘came into being’ through the Word. This recalls the language of Genesis 1, where God speaks creation into being. The Genesis account tells of God looking at creation and affirming that it was good. Here the relationship is different. The Word came to his own, but his own did not welcome him ( v. 11). The Word is also the Light, John tells us; but the Light shines over the darkness, which tries to overcome it. There is a tension, perhaps even a conflict, between the Word in eternal light and the things that came into being, whose being will also come to an end. The point in Mary’s song is that God has redressed the balance of the world: the hungry are fed and those who already have plenty are not given any more; those who are powerless are given a position and those who are all-powerful are challenged. Hannah and Mary each receive a vision of how the world might be when righteousness prevails, when all are treated as equal in the sight of God. This vision continues to inspire God’s faithful people in a world where there seems to be too much power in the wrong hands; where affluent countries waste food that might feed starving people; where abuse of God’s creation is causing untold devastation for those who have fewest resources; where vaccines are not available to the vulnerable. Things need to be turned round… I know that I need to be watched over and encouraged and in my prison job I know how it helps to be recognised and appreciated. When my Governor says to me "Thanks for doing a good job" (which often means my chaplaincy team has done a good job), it makes all the difference. It makes me feel we are being cared for: it motivates me and it motivates my team to do further good work. What we do here is not the end of the story. We wait for heaven’s morning to break through. "And know that all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well." (Mother Julian of Norwich) When Jesus refers to the 'yeast' of the Pharisees and Herod in verse 15, this is because in many places in the Old Testament yeast was used as a symbol of influence, often negatively. (Interestingly, Jesus unusually uses yeast in a positive way, as a sign of the kingdom, in Luke 13:21 – the difficulty of metaphor!). Jesus is warning his disciples that they are in danger of seeing the world through corrupted eyes, even while in the company of himself. There may be another of Jesus’ sighs of exasperation that they are concerned about having enough to eat, when he is with them and is the ‘bread of life'. Besides, haven’t they seen him produce a miraculous bounty of food for thousands of people? One can almost hear Jesus’ thoughts about what more is needed to convince people that he is the Messiah.

Today's passage sits in the middle of a long farewell discourse by Jesus with his disciples set within the context of the Last Supper. It follows a series of positive messages making clear that "if you love me you will keep my commandments" ( John 14:15); " they who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me, and those who love me will be loved by my Father" ( John 14:21) and "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love." ( John 15:10) Does the God the writer of Genesis envisages in the words we have read, relate to the God we know through his son Jesus, or was the writer mistaken and confused?

If you are a member of a Christian community, in your own life how do you feel about other voices and beliefs? Maybe you are familiar with CS Lewis’ series of books known as The C hronicles of Narnia. The first in the series is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the final volume is The Last Battle. At the end of this final book in the series, the lion, Aslan, reveals that the stories have been a dream, he calls the people to know that the conflict, the pain, and the trauma of battle is over. Aslan declares that the dream is ended – this is the morning.And into that silence comes the sound of people – broken, bewildered and bereaved. For not all who have participated in conflict have died – many more continue to live with their injured bodies, their troubled minds, their disturbed spirits – and we will remember them. Not all who suffer the effects of conflict have engaged in battle; those who are left behind are also profoundly affected. And we will remember them. Bearing in mind that Christians speak of God as being loving, gracious and generous, what are your images or ideas about any possible future judgement? Lord God, open our minds and hearts to the possibilities of the beyond, that we may be comforted on our journey through life here on earth. Amen. Turning to his disciples, Jesus asks them who they think he is, and Peter confesses that Jesus is the ‘Messiah of God’ ( v. 20), the anointed one expected by many Jews at the time. While implicitly accepting the designation, Jesus warns his disciples not to tell anyone about it ( v. 21). The reason is that the path Jesus would follow differed from what many expected of a Messiah, and Jesus describes to his disciples what to expect in the first of three passion predictions (see also Luke 9:43b-45; 18:31-34). The term ‘Son of Man’ is used elsewhere in the gospels for Jesus and may allude to the use of the title in Daniel 7:13-14, where the ‘Son of Man’ receives authority from God. Jesus explains that he will suffer, face rejection by the leaders of Israel, die, and rise again on the third day ( v. 22).